Bring some magic to Chicago’s Pedway — or at least some maps

Pedestrians walk in the Pedway near Macy's and Barbara's Bookstore in Chicago on Dec. 19, 2018. Passersby single out the Pedway's section under Macy's as foreboding and sometimes gross.

Pedestrians walk in the Pedway near Macy's and Barbara's Bookstore in Chicago on Dec. 19, 2018. Passersby single out the Pedway's section under Macy's as foreboding and sometimes gross. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)

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Chicago, city of skyscrapers and elevated trains, needs to cast its eyes low once in a while. The Pedway, the useful but intimidating underground passageway, could use some help.

On cold or rainy days, especially, the idea of hustling through the Loop in a weatherproof pedestrian tunnel has its charms — except when it doesn’t. As Mary Wisniewski reports in the Tribune, sections of the Pedway become quite ripe in winter, when it provides refuge for people who don’t have ready access to a public bathroom.

At least one leg of the Pedway is a delight: The section that traverses Block 37 is part of that State Street shopping mall, a well-lit oasis with sandwich shops and the like. What commuter wouldn’t enjoy such a twice daily journey? Other portions of the Pedway are dank, confusing or worse.

If you aren’t in-the-know, the Pedway is a maze of underground walkways that hopscotch across downtown south of the Chicago River. One well-traversed segment stretches west from Aon Center along Randolph Street, touching Metra and CTA stops, the Chicago Cultural Center and Macy’s, snaking toward City Hall. Want to get from Prudential Plaza northeast to the Swissotel on the Chicago River? You can do that, too, if you’re in on the secret.

The downside is that the walkways are hard to find from surface streets and lobbies, and once you do make your way underground, you may not like what you experience. Passersby single out the Macy’s leg as foreboding and sometimes gross, though it seemed to get a spruce-up after Wisniewski’s story.

Pedway development began in 1951, and it exists as a patchwork of separately owned sections. Lacking a single agency in charge of it – and we certainly aren’t suggesting there should be one — the Pedway is maintained along its way by various public and private entities. That’s what makes it such a jumble.

Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune

A pedestrian enters the Pedway at Millennium Station, the train station beneath Millennium Park on Dec. 22, 2016.

In some areas, a plaque with a stylized compass is the only guidepost on the winding path. As easy-to-follow cartography goes, this is a bit “Da Vinci Code.” Columnist Eric Zorn recounted a simple journey derailed by the lack of clear, up-to-date signage. Tourists and occasional users should be able to pop down and find a hotel lobby, cup of coffee or train with ease. May we have some more words and arrows, please?

A tuneup should include new maps and app-based navigation, repairs and more lighting, along with appropriate security. And owners, don’t skimp on assigning cleanup crews. In the future, advertising or artistic murals might brighten more walls. Attractions like music and dance pop-ups could enhance arts, shopping and dining outings in the Loop. A new Chicago Blues Experience museum with below-ground levels is expected to open at 25 E. Washington St. this year, another possible impetus for improvements.

Office workers and shop owners wouldn’t be the only beneficiaries of a better Pedway. Chicago and Cook County would reap more tax revenue on any increase in business activity. Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center, said his organization is working with the city and county to submit a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant proposal requesting $10 million for structural fixes and better transit and pedestrian access and $3 million to $5 million for way-finding, including maps, signals and lighting.

We’re not talking about creating the next Magnificent Mile. Even boosters see a ceiling to expected benefits. Parts of the Pedway close at 6 p.m. and on weekends. Rules, rents and other realities limit the type of restaurant and retail tenants to be expected. Many people will never find reason to enter this subterranean passage.

Still, this already-built asset is tantalizingly close to something so much better. Civic and business leaders should spur on any resistors and help this hidden hub live up to its potential.